In today’s resource-constrained environment, structured and programmed service planning and services review processes are important.

SERVICE PLANNING is the strategic ‘front-end‘ planning process (at each service level) that leads into the budget cycle. It is cyclical, should not be onerous and apply for every service, every year.

It should make managers think more broadly and strategically, within their immediate service/departmental bounds. The focus is on what they are doing, why and how before they head into resources, bidding and budget mode.

A SERVICE REVIEW process, on the other hand, involves an ongoing, programmed strategic-level review of what a council does, the services it delivers and at what levels. Service reviews are ‘deep dives’ into selected individual services (not all services).

There is also a higher strategic level of service review where the focus is cross-services rather than intra-service. The key question here is what services is Council in today (services catalogue), why and what services does it want to be in in the future (and at what levels). This is a key planning process in the context of ensuring long-term financial sustainability. The outcome is a key input to the Long-term Financial Plan.

Continuing to do things just because it’s always been done in the past is not best practice.
A service review regime is a structured process of questioning what you do, why and how much community resource you commit to it at the most fundamental level.

A service review ‘road map’ that sets criteria/triggers for service review and lays out a forward program of reviews is important for a planned and structured approach.
Where there is systemic change to the wider policy landscape and/or funding (early years, CHSP etc.), structured service review is especially important.

Talk to our team about building your council’s service review and service planning needs.